Critic Reviews

Battlestations: Midway may have set a new bar for the WW2 strategy game. Combining brain-straining strategy and shoot-em-‘up vehicular combat, this game is one nice piece of historical interactive entertainment. Despite a few issues with the controls and the audio package, this title is definitely a must-own for hardcore strategy nuts and World War II hobbyists.

Just when you thought they couldn’t put a new spin on the WWII genre, here come Eidos ready to show that three genres can exist in harmony and even work on a console. But then again, Battlestations: Midway is far from an ordinary war game. This could be the start of a whole new genre.

If you have been waiting to take control of powerful U.S. military units in a video game, you probably won't find a more realistic and option-heavy game on the market. There is so much that I could write about with Battlestations: Midway that it's difficult to sort out, and I haven't even touched the online multi-player yet. You can face up to eight players over Xbox Live in four vs. four American vs. Japanese battles. The single player is just a taste of what to expect from the epic battles that you will face online. This game was made to be played against humans. With dozens of units taking to the sky and sea, Battlestations: Midway is one of the few games on Xbox 360 that is hard to imagine existing on past hardware. This is a true next-gen war simulation experience that you should not pass up.

Although it’s not the best I’ve ever seen, this game can still compete with the best (in the genre) on all areas. The size of every element, every aspect contributes to a very complete World War 2 experience. If you like war (especially vehicle based), you’re at the right place. Perhaps this can even be called “a worthy pain-relief to forget about the long waiting for Quake Wars”.

Battlestations: Midway fills a void that has been missing so from the Xbox 360 library, rare historic action-strategy games. Battlestations: Midway finally puts Xbox gamers behind the help of a number of water based warmachines that helped win the second world war, along with their dog fighting friends in the sky. It’s obvious that Battlestations: Midway is only going to appeal to a certain fan base, but that’s alright. For this genre Battlestations loads enough ammo to keep your sinking Battleships for a while. If sinking Battleships, Bombers, and Oil Tankers sound like fun, give Battlestations: Midway a once over because I’m sure nothing like it will come around for a while.

In Battlestations Midway, you can. While the learning curve is relatively high, the time spent running ships aground and crashing planes into the ocean is worth it when you are dominating the Pacific. The graphics are a bit bland but there is a ton of detail. The score and voice-acting are well done, if repetitive. Still, Battlestations' shortcomings do not detract from a great gameplay experience that both action and strategy fans should enjoy. While the online options are thin, this game offers arguably the single-most enjoyable one-on-one match on Xbox Live as well as a great co-op experience for those that have paid their dues on the training modes. For those tired of the same old thing, check out this unique new title from Eidos -- Battlestations Midway is anything but just another World War II game.

In Battlestations Midway, you do more than zoom in. While the learning curve is relatively high, the time spent running ships aground and crashing planes into the ocean is worth it when you are dominating the Pacific. The graphics are a bit bland but there is a ton of detail. The score and voice-acting are well done, if repetitive. Still, Battlestations' shortcomings do not detract from a great gameplay experience that both action and strategy fans should enjoy. While the online options are thin, this game offers a great one-on-one option for RTS fans as well as a great co-op experience for those that have paid their dues on the training modes. For those tired of the same old thing, check out this unique new title from Eidos -- Battlestations Midway is anything but just another World War II game.

Few titles attempt a real-time strategy/action hybrid, and even less actually succeed. The precision of point-and-click may be the time-honored interface for tactical games, but Eidos Hungary has produced an excellent, landmark entry for the genre on consoles. The accessibility of the controls at each level of naval warfare caters to the casual commander and old-time maritimer alike, mostly because they invite the player to freely perform the battle actions they choose. It may lack a fleshed-out campaign on par with its competitors, but Battlestations: Midway supplies enough gameplay depth to make it a unique title that won't leave you with a sinking feeling after purchase.

If you're looking for a game that's fast paced and fun from the get-go, this isn't for you. If you're a couch jockey who enjoys a long day of a tall iced tea and the history channel... Well. Eidos has made the game for you.

Battlestations: Midway offers a brand new approach to naval combat on the consoles. It portrays the atmosphere of WWII in the Pacific theatre quite well. Not everyone will be satisfied with the slow pace of naval warfare, but if you’re a history buff, you don’t want to miss the boat.

Eidos have created a solid and professionally handled strategic title with Battlestations Midway. The game is both fun and rewarding to play with a steady learning curve as the single player missions develop. Patience with the game is clearly rewarded and initial frustration can quickly turn into great satisfaction when a particular strategic maneuver wins an hour long battle. The graphics can be rather bland and lifeless yet at times can be equally breathtaking when a screen full of units are battling to stay alive. The artificial intelligence is also, rather pleasantly, capable and varied during combat, leaving you in the position of being able to sit back within the strategic map and reap the rewards of your strategic genius, if you so wish. The online multi player part of the game is also extremely enjoyable and will prolong the life of the game if you are lucky enough to be able to connect to Xbox Live.

My final two cents again this game will be about the graphics. I decided to place this last on the review because even though the graphics are mediocre, the gameplay isn’t. They aren’t bad by any means, but they don’t pop out with all the flash and pizzazz that some other current games have to offer. But in the end they do satisfy and for a mere $39.99, Battlestations:Midway goes out of its way to provide an experience worth every penny.

Overall BM is great fun to play from both a tactical and action based angle, and this is one that we would recommend you play, even if you were to rent. And now only leaves me to say I would be surprised to find you disappointed with this game.

Battlestations: Midway is truly a jack-of-all-trades game. It doesn’t offer the same immersion level of a dedicated flight or submarine sim, but the tradeoff is you get a chance to command an entire fleet. RTS fans will be excited at the chance to influence the battle at the first-person level, something that almost no other WW II strategy game on the market offers right now. The only thing keeping this game from having a top score is its lack of single player content (at least by PC standards) and some buggy issues with multiplayer. But otherwise this is a really solid game that combines both first-person and strategic gameplay flawlessly. If you have any interest in being a hero in the Pacific Theater or simply love blasting away bogeys by the boatload, Battlestations: Midway is a direct hit.

Battlestations: Midway for the Xbox 360 is a surprisingly gratifying game that effectively blends both action and strategy and thus makes this a game that fans of both genres can like. For the action aficionado, the battles are fierce and fun despite some awkward controls and for the strategy gamer there are more than enough options to please fans of tactical strategy. In the end, gamers who like the best of both worlds shouldn’t miss this game.

All in all, this is a solid strategy game and a decent action game all rolled into one - and is easily one of the better WW2 games available for your Xbox 360 at the moment. Well worth a punt if you ask us.

If you're able to digest a mix of action and RTS, fun above all considerations, but also dedicated to an atmospheric and sufficiently authentic reiteration of the few proposed historical moments, you have all the chances to have found the right correspondent. But if you're chasing for an in-depth strategic nature, coupled with a life expectancy capable of maintaining the combative spirit on Human vs. A.I. path, Battlestation: Midway is not what you're looking for. Although it would be a shame to throw away the chance of testing the grown level of cooperation and strategy, imposed by the online matches. The successful ones, in any case.

Battlestations: Midway strikes a balance between action and strategy that makes it uniquely appealing. The strategy isn't especially in-depth, but it is accessible and satisfying. The action portion of the game is also kept very simple, which works in the game's favor by making it easy to switch gears between the two different parts of the game. The action is also exciting enough to make it worth your while to jump into battle, if only for a few minutes at a time. The single-player game is sadly way too short, but the online multiplayer game is at least a small consolation. And while it lasts, Battlestations: Midway is a very fun game to play.

To conclude, Battlestations: Midway is a game that has clearly been made with a lot more care than many titles I'd care to mention, especially given the complex blend of action and strategy that would have been very easy to get wrong. If this is a mix of genres that floats your boat, you'll certainly find plenty to get your teeth into with Battlestations, albeit rather too briefly in the singleplayer mode (we seem to be saying that a lot recently). WWII-themed titles are ten-a-penny at the moment, making it even more fortuitous that Battlestations: Midway finds some fairly uncharted waters in which to lay-anchor, even if the game could be a bit more expansive.

While Battlestations: Midway definitely isn't for everyone, it's probably one of those games that some people will still be playing on Xbox Live a few years from now. This is largely due to the fact that there really isn't anything like it on the market today. Is it a strategy game for action fans? An action game for strategy fans? We don't have the answers, but we do know that there is definitely an audience for this type of game. If they can look past the disappointing graphics and steep learning curve, gamers will find this to be a worthy addition to their gaming library. However, don't worry if it's not your cup of tea - there are plenty of other genres out there.

Battlestations: Midway strikes a balance between action and strategy that makes it uniquely appealing. The strategy isn't especially in-depth, but it is accessible and satisfying. The action portion of the game is also kept very simple, which works in the game's favor by making it easy to switch gears between the two different parts of the game. The action is also exciting enough to make it worth your while to jump into battle, if only for a few minutes at a time. The single-player game is sadly way too short, but the online multiplayer game is at least a small consolation. And while it lasts, Battlestations: Midway is a very fun game to play.

We really like this because it’s original in terms of gameplay, it has historically accurate ships, planes and locations, plus it’s very well presented. It can be very frenetic, however, which might put some off. But war isn’t supposed to be a friendly, fun distraction. There’s even a multiplayer option so you can pit your strategy wits against real people, capable of improvising and adapting tactics. Very polished and admirable in both execution and accuracy.

Overall, I think the balance between action and strategy is spot on for the casual as well as hardcore gamers out there and is well worth renting it out. Buying this game is recommended if you have friends you can play with, as you know they will not drop out of a game because they are losing. The single player campaign is too short but on LIVE it will be different every time you play, making the game last for quite some time.

If you are interested in a detailed and accurate Pacific war simulation rather than an arcade action-strategy game, Battlestations: Midway may not be for you. Although engaging, the single-player campaign is just too short and will provide very little replay value. I do recommend that those who are more interested in playing online or over a LAN consider purchasing Battlestations: Midway because it is a surprisingly entertaining game which you can enjoy playing, especially with the right group of people.

Battlestations: Midway isn’t getting a ___ because it isn’t a good game, instead I feel it merits that because there isn’t enough of it there. The many multiplayer possibilities should buy you a lot of time with the title, but the single-player campaign is just entirely too short (while the tutorial is mind-numbingly long). However, if you play online with a group of friends that have the discipline to deliver coordinated attacks, this game is easily worth the next-gen price tag of the 360 version and is a steal at the $39.99 price tag of the PC version.

Battlestations: Midway isn’t getting a ___ because it isn’t a good game, instead I feel it merits that because there isn’t enough of it there. The many multiplayer possibilities should buy you a lot of time with the title, but the single-player campaign is just entirely too short (while the tutorial is mind-numbingly long). However, if you play online with a group of friends that have the discipline to deliver coordinated attacks, this game is easily worth the next-gen price tag of the 360 version and is a steal at the $39.99 price tag of the PC version.

Battlestations: Midway be a dated game? A 2004 game released in 2007? If that occurred to you, relax. Battlestations: Midway does not look or play like a game trapped in development purgatory at all. It is a WWII Pacific theater naval action game that gives the player planes, subs, and warships to command, similar to some of the other naval games Subsim has reviewed.

Eidos' Battlestations: Midway brings a lot of innovation to the table. The strategy elements work well and the action plays out fast and furious. Combining the two is a mixture that works towards the game's success but also proves to be a small recipe for disaster. Handling multiple units is no small task in huge fights and constantly having to micromanage your squadrons will leave you frustrated beyond reason. The online experience is decidedly better than the single player one and though both bare their flaws I wouldn't call either "bad". When these elements come together in the manner that they were intended there are few titles out there that can match Midway's scope and awe. I'm going to recommend this title if you're looking for a unique wartime game.

BattleStations: Midway is a very original title and has taken some WWII conventions and built on them to offer a unique game experience, but it doesn't seem to go to the lengths it could have. The single player campaign is too short and doesn't throw you into the ‘whole navy vs whole navy' action quickly enough - the main appeal of this game is definitely the Live features. To sum up, Midway is innovative, but it ultimately doesn't go far enough.

Ultimately, Battlestations: Midway certainly isn’t a game that can be picked up and played in a few minutes. It requires a large investment of time, and the acceptance of a few rough edges, to see a return. A title greater than the sum of its parts, the tactical element keeps requires a bit of strategical know-how whilst the action element feels far more involved and creates the feeling that a tangible difference is being made to the outcome of the battle. Eidos deserve respect for trying something above and beyond the tired WWII fps and doing something original on the 360.

Battlestations: Midway is an intriguing and unique blend of strategy and action that challenges gamers with both directing the strategic course of a series of sea-based battles while simultaneously participating in the conflicts.

For fans of the WWII genre, Battlestations: Midway is a pretty safe bet. The game stands apart from the usual war game fare. If you're willing to put a lot of time and effort into learning the various intricacies of the game's multiple controls, you're likely to get more than a little enjoyment out of the title. For the standard gamer though, the game's steep learning curve and hit or miss multiplayer experience may deep six most of the fun.

Still, control issues aside, Battlestations: Midway is a fun game if you're into strategy titles. Just throwing mad amounts of units at each new problem really doesn't work here, since you have finite resources and no unit is really impervious to attack from any other unit. It's a lot of fun just to try out different tactics and see what will work, and the computer loves to draw you away from your main objective. It's too bad each single-player mission plays out almost exactly the same each and every time, cutting the replay value down significantly. Of course, that's what the online mode is for.

The traditionalist in you wants it to be one thing or the other, but by the time you're done with it you'll admire the flexibility on offer. You might even wish that other action games would give you the kind of tactical flexibility that Battlestations Midway offers - or you might even start to hanker for more hands-on action in real-time strategy games. Despite the largely successful genre splicing apparent, it's not a game that gets everything spot-on - with a short campaign, over-long tutorial and uneven difficulty, there's room for significant improvement for the inevitable sequel. For now, you'll just have to settle for game that's midway between good and brilliant.

You can play with up to seven other people online. And while there's a limited number of missions and maps to tackle, the number of players in a sortie really changes the way the experience goes. See, if it's just you against another person, you have complete control over all of your units. As players are added to your team, your unit number stays the same, meaning you have to work in perfect harmony with your teammates if you want to have any hope of victory. It's a cool way to tackle multiplayer, and a nice built-in handicapping system that will keep things interesting should the game build a decent online community.

Ultimately, Battlestations: Midway is a fairly fun gaming experience, especially for those interested in war simulators. RTS fans might find it a little simple, but might find the emphasis on action a pleasing surprise. Action fans might find the strategy a little dull, but with the simplicity of the commands they'll find themselves in the thick of the action as often as they like. Although the single-player is short, the multiplayer adds replayability that fans of the genre can enjoy for a long while.

Ultimately, Battlestations: Midway is a fairly fun gaming experience, especially for those interested in war simulators. RTS fans might find it a little simple, but might find the emphasis on action a pleasing surprise. Action fans might find the strategy a little dull, but with the simplicity of the commands they'll find themselves in the thick of the action as often as they like. Although the single-player is short, the multiplayer adds replayability that fans of the genre can enjoy for a long while.

Battlestations Midway is a welcome change from the traditions first person World War II shooting games that have been all the rage over the last few years and if you like naval warfare, there really aren’t many games out for the 360 besides this one to get your fix. Because the game is such a mix of action and strategy and the single player mode is short, I would recommend a rental before you go out and pick this one up.

Battlestations Midway should keep most strategic naval fans satisfied for a reasonable period of time. While some may argue that the game’s single player campaign offering is on the short side the addition of numerous challenge missions and a solid online multiplayer offering combines to serve plenty of hours worth of gameplay. Despite this, the game certainly isn’t for everyone, and a rental to see if it’s what your after prior to purchasing it is recommended.

Battlestations: Midway isn’t bad, but its ambitious mixture of action and real-time strategy doesn’t translate into an exciting and engaging game. It isn’t until you’re half way through the singleplayer that you’re allowed to command any decent number of units and the story only has eleven missions anyway. World War II enthusiasts will enjoy its strategic nature and appreciate its historical accuracy, but for everyone else this is worth little more than a rental.

Battlestations Midway will find its audience. While the cover depicts a scene of stunning action, the laborious pacing once into game play will grip only a dedicated audience. This is one that has "cult hit" written all over it.

To be fair to Eidos, I think that they've done a good job with a concept that is always going to struggle to become a great game. I applaud them for trying and even getting the product to market, but I wonder whether trying to reconcile the differences between a strategy game and an action game is even possible.